Welcome to the online blog for DentaQuest, a leader in oral health, committed to improving oral health through access, innovation and affordability.
Through open and ongoing conversation, we hope to provide you with expert advice and information on best practices in dental care.

Friday, February 25, 2011

Using Performance Measurement to Improve Oral Health and Patient Care

This week, I have the pleasure of recognizing my colleague Dr. Rob Compton, who was recently appointed to the American Dental Association’s (ADA) Dental Quality Alliance (DQA) Advisory Committee on Research and Development of Performance Measures.

Dr. Compton, vice president of quality improvement for DentaQuest, is a nationally recognized expert on evidence-based oral health care and cost management methodologies. In 1999, Dr. Compton opened DentaQuest’s model dental office in Massachusetts. Its goal has been to deliver cost-effective, appropriate dental care using scientific, evidence-based technologies and treatments that are tailored to the dental needs of each patient. Today, under the direction of Dr. Peter Blanchard, the DentaQuest Oral Health Center is a thriving multi-specialty dental office—and the American Dental Association’s Adult Preventive Practice of the Year. Disease management and patient education are at the heart of its business and clinical systems. And for patients, that means healthier mouths, keeping their teeth for life, and much less need to drill and fill. The DentaQuest Oral Health Center has become a model for other dental offices who want to emphasize disease management in patient care.

Dr. Compton has brought the same thoughtful care and attention to quality improvement for better patient outcomes to DentaQuest’s dental benefit plan designs. He has encouraged DentaQuest to cover new services once they have been shown to have real impact on slowing the progression of dental and gum disease, particularly in higher-risk patients. His appointment to this ADA committee is acknowledgement of DentaQuest’s role as a major stakeholder and subject matter expert in high quality oral health benefits that emphasize cost and quality and which lead to improved patient outcomes.

The DQA was established by the American Dental Association in 2008 at the request of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) which is also a co-sponsor. Its mission is to advance performance measurement as a means to improve oral health and patient care and safety through a consensus-building process.